A Time For War
by Ben Griggs
Summary: The U.S.S. Zeus, a Tactical Odyssey cruiser goes missing while exploring the Delta Volanis Cluster... (Alternate timeline from Path to 2409) Please don't sue me I don't own anything. Not connected with A Time For Peace.
1. Path to 2409 & Prologue

Path to 2409

(2379)

- After Shinzon's defeat, the Romulans held a special election to reform the Senate. Senate Elects Commander Donatra as Preator.

- Donatra opens negotiations with Federation

- Signs non-aggression treaty with Federation

- Federation proposes permanent Alliance between the Federation and the Romulan and Klingon Empires.

- Tal Shiar opposes alliance, attempts to assassinate Donatra.

- Donatra begins purge of Tal Shiar

(2382)

- Tal Shiar joins with rouge military groups to attack Federation

- Picard, Worf and Donatra join forces and destroy the Tal Shiar. Remans granted independence.

(2390

- Tal Shiar remnants reformed into Romulan Intelligence Ministry.

- Construction of transwarp network connecting Earth, Romulus and Qo'nos begins.

(2395)

- Starfleet Launches the Odyssey class starship.

- Starfleet security adds two special branches. MACO (Marine Assault Command) and Omega Force. (Special Ops)

- MACOs assigned to Federation ships, stations and colonies to supplement security forces.

- Omega operators assigned to exploration ships and Starfleet facilities.

- Personal Shield technology developed at Daystrom Institute.

(2400)

- Alpha Alliance Treaty signed.

- Dual citizenship program approved.

- Personal armor developed.

- B-4 android restored as Commander Data.

- Special MACO/Omega armor modified to work in vacuum.

- Transwarp network Completed.

(2403)

- First major military action of Alpha Alliance, crack-down on Orion and Nausicaan piracy.

- Gorn Hegemony signs treaty with Alpha Alliance.

(2405)

- Cardassian Government reformed into Constitutional Republic.

- Bajor joins the Federation

- Cardassian extremist group the "True Way" attempt coup.

- Cardassian civilians support Republic government.

- True Way driven off Cardassia completely

(2408)

- Cardassian Constitution ratified, includes right to bear arms.

- Cardassian Republic joins Alpha Alliance, Gorn quickly follow suit.

(2409)

- Stipulation in Treaty of Algeron prohibiting the Federation from developing cloaking technology lifted.

- Cloak now standard on all escort-class ships.

- First Galaxy-X dreadnought launched.

- U.S.S. Zeus goes missing in Delta Volanis Cluster...

* * *

Prologue

Admiral Keys' Personal Log: _We're on an exploration tour of the Delta Volanis Cluster and we've already surveyed a number of interesting systems. Recently our sensors have detected an increase in neutrino emissions. Neutrino emissions are often associated with wormholes. My crew is eager to see if these emissions will lead to another stable wormhole like the one near Bajor._

"Bridge to Admiral Keys. We're approaching the source of the neutrino emissions. It appears to be a rift of some kind." said Lucian, the senior science officer.

"Very well. Begin scanning the rift, I'm on my way." replied Keys.

Keys was in the turbolift when the ship was rocked by a wave of energy. He stumbled out of the lift onto the bridge. "Report!" he ordered.

"Our scans appear to have triggered an energy surge from the rift, we're being pulled into it." replied the science officer.

"All engines full reverse!" ordered Keys.

"No effect. We're still being pulled inside." replied Lucian

"ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT!" yelled Keys.

A/N: The Alpha Alliance is in my mind a lot like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Individual governments retain their own armed forces but are far more cooperative then they've been in the past. MACOs are the 'Marines' of Starfleet. Starfleet still uses it's normal security but the MACOs function as a standing 'army' of sorts. Omega Force is used much like the Delta Force of the US Army. Please note that this is an Alternate Timeline to the official Star Trek Online Version.


	2. A galaxy far far away

Chapter 1

A galaxy far far away

Admiral Keys woke up a few minutes after hitting the rift. He could see other crewmembers waking as well. "Status?" he ordered.

"Admiral, I can't get a navigational fix on our location. It's like we're not in our own galaxy anymore." said the conn officer.

"Did you run a diagnostic?" asked Keyes

"Yes sir, same results. I'll keep trying sir."

"Lucien any ideas? asked Keys

"Sir, I can confirm that we are no longer in our own galaxy. I can also confirm...that we are no longer in our reality." replied Lucien, the Senior Science officer.

"Is there any way to get back?" asked Keys

"Not at the moment sir. I'm going to have to analyse these readings. They are very strange." he replied

"Sir, I have comm traffic. But it's not like anything I've ever heard. I'm also receiving visual signals." said Scott, chief tactical officer.

"On screen."

The screen changed from a starfield to a mirage of images. They all appeared to be advertisements for one product or another. One ad was astonishingly in english. It talked about a 'Galactic Empire' and exploring the galaxy. However the images on the screen of armies in bleach white armor didn't look like any explorers to Keys.

"Lucien, Scott, analyse these recordings and see what you can find out." said Keys.

* * *

It took some time but Scott and Lucien put a report together about this new galaxy they had entered.

"Admiral, my analysis of the communications we intercepted clearly indicates a thriving galactic civilization which includes humans. However, unlike our Milky Way, this galaxy has been largely explored and charted for thousands of years. From what we can tell, it used to be ruled by a central democratic Republic from a planet called Coruscant. Approximately twenty years ago after a bloody civil war the Republic fell and was reorganized into a malevolent Empire. This Empire is guilty of horrendous crimes including the wanton destruction of an inhabited planet. I highly advise avoiding contact with the Empire at all costs. There is no indication of technology like our transporters or replicators and if the Empire learns of our technology they would attempt to seize the ship and execute the crew after a torturous interrogation.

Keys nodded in understanding. "Scott, what our tactical situation look like?"

"Shields and weapons are fully operational. I have MACO and Omega personnel guarding key areas of the ship and security is on constant full alert. We'll be ready if they board us. As Lucien mentioned they don't seem to have transporters so I believe any boarding action will occur via shuttle. As for ship to ship combat I recommend we stay at full impulse. From what we've seen the larger capital ships don't have the maneuverability we're used to. Combat tactics seem to be a combination of WWI and WWII naval tactics, with heavy reliance on fighter support. Primary weapons consist of what I believe to be a plasma-pulse weapon called a 'turbolaser'. There are different levels of turbolasers, light, medium and heavy. However, I can't really gauge how effective our shields would be without solid data. I believe they are individually weak which is why the largest ships carry several dozen of these weapons. There are torpedo and missile weapons as well."

"Very well. Genaro, your report?"

"Sir, the technology in this galaxy is impressive. I'd love to get a look at a hyperdrive motivator. It seems to be the only method of faster than light travel. As near as I can figure it's a kind of quantum slipstream, very fast but limited. It requires precise calculations for a jump and does not function in a gravity well. As Lucien and Scott have mentioned there is no evidence that they have transporter or replicator technology. There is no evidence of antimatter being used as a power source."

"If no one uses antimatter how will we refuel?"

"I've looked at some star charts and plotted possible sources of antimatter. So it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Sir, I have something to add." said Scott.

"Go ahead." replied Keys

"I've found evidence of an insurgency against the Empire. There are references to the Rebel Alliance to Restore the Galactic Republic. I've seen some of the propaganda and it looks like this Rebel Alliance has won a major victory. The Emperor, a man named Palpatine is reported to be dead and the Rebel Alliance has declared itself as The New Republic. Sir, I recommend making contact with them if we can't find a way home. We could offer them some minor technological upgrades in exchange for a safe haven. They aren't as aggressive as the Empire. I'd say they fight for the same reasons we do, freedom." he said

Keys nodded but Lucien had reservations. "Sir, wouldn't offering aid to this Rebellion be a violation of the Prime Directive?"

"I don't think so. This is not just one planet experiencing a civil war, it's an entire galaxy. If they fight for the same reasons we do I see no reason why we should help them. Have you been able to pinpoint our location?"

"Yes sir. From the star charts I've gathered I believe we are in the Corellian sector. The primary system being the Corellian system itself, with three habitable planets. It is also an Imperial stronghold and home to several shipyards. Corellia appears to be one of several planets that have a thriving market in starships. They manufacture anything from light freighters to cruisers. I recommend we move away from this system immediately sir. Every hour we're here exposes us to possible detection and attack by Imperial forces." said Lucien

"Scott, you said the Rebels won a major victory recently. Where?"

"A planet on what they call 'the outer rim territories'. Endor."

"Hmmmmmm, Genaro you said that a hyperdrive is probably a kind of quantum slipstream. How does it compare to transwarp drive?"

"Transwarp is much faster. If my math is right, we can transwarp to Endor in three days, while quantum slipstream would take about a week because we have to drop out periodically and let the hull cool down from the extreme velocities."

"Very well. When we're done here lay in a course for Endor and engage the transwarp drive."

"Understood sir."

"_Bridge to Admiral Keys."_

"Keys here."

"_We've detected a high-speed anomaly approaching our position. I think it's a ship in hyperspace._"

"We'll be right there." replied Keys

* * *

The Admiral and his senior staff took their places on the bridge. As the crewmen were relieved they reported. "Sir, the target is reverting to realspace sir."

In a flash of motion a small vessel appeared. The Admiral looked at it closely. "Looks like a patrol ship. Imperial?"

"It appears so sir. According to our information it's a Corellian Corvette. Also known as a blockade runner."

"Tactical analysis?"

"Two twin turbolasers and four single lasers. Shouldn't be much of a challenge."

"Hail them."

"They are hailing us sir."

"On screen...this is Ad-" he was cut off harshly by the Imperial officer.

"Rebel scum!" he yelled then cut the channel."

"That went well..." commented Scott. "They're targeting us...and opening fire...No reduction in shield strength sir. With the power levels I'm reading they couldn't challenge a Miranda-class frigate let alone an Odyssey cruiser."

The Imperial crew was surprised to see a bubble shield shimmer around the ship with each shot.

"Alright that's enough. Scott, disable their communications and engines. We don't want them calling reinforcements on us."

"Aye sir." replied Scott.

Two quick shots melted the communications dish and punched a small hole in the engines. Scott noticed a possible tactical advantage when his shots partially penetrated the shields. "Sir, I don't think they have experience with modulating weapons." he said

"That's quite an advantage for us but we'll have to discuss it later. Major Columbus, prep your MACOs for boarding action. I want you to capture the ship intact."

"Yes sir. Let's move MACOs!" said Columbus as he lead a platoon to the transporter room. "First squad beams to the bridge, second takes engineering, third and fourth squads are on hallway duty, secure the rest of the ship. Phasers on stun."

"Scott, I need one more shot, try to disable their shields."

"Aye sir."

One last phaser shot connected the two ships for an instant as the corvette's shields flickered then shorted out.

"Shields down commencing boarding action." said Scott.

* * *

Captain Zurel Darillian, commanding the Imperial Corvette _Night Caller_, was incensed at his ship being disabled so easily. He couldn't even call for reinforcements. His crew looked to him for guidance. "Arm up. They probably want to board us." he said

The crew scrambled to their positions and broke out blaster rifles and pistols. The small contingent of stormtroopers took positions near the airlock and around key areas of the ship. They were totally unprepared when men in suits of grey armor carrying odd looking rifles appeared out of thin air. Captain Darilion shot at one and was rendered speechless when a blue force field shimmered around the man and his blaster shot literally _bounced_ off the shield. The MACO quickly stunned him and his bridge crew before they could put up more of a fight. Engineering was secured just as quickly. The other two squads were encountering resistance from the stormtroopers. The stun setting on their rifles weren't effective against the stormtroopers armor. A phaser rifle on setting 6 was needed to punch through armor. The whole boarding action took thirty minutes.

Starfleet crew members swarmed the ship, downloading the tactical database and analysing the weapons. They also downloaded the Intelligence and linguistic files. Genaro used the navigation system to get a real fix on their position and the Corvette was stowed in the Zeus's shuttlebay. Genaro was eager to see what kind of modifications he could make. The Admiral had given him full authorization to 'tinker' with the ship as he saw fit.

The Zeus engaged its transwarp drive and jumped to Endor.

A/N: Yes I'm the one getting married...


	3. Meeting the Neighbors

Chapter 2

Meeting the Neighbors

Admiral Ackbar sat in his command chair reviewing a status report. He nodded in satisfaction at the repair schedule. The Rebel Alliance had won a major victory at Endor just a few weeks ago, destroying the second Death Star and killing Emperor Palpatine. Commander Skywalker had just returned from an expedition to Bakura. An Imperial planet under attack by a species known as the Ssi-ruuk. Skywalker had forged a temporary alliance with Imperial forces stationed there to drive back the aliens. Akbar stood and was about to return to his chambers when a sensor operator got his attention.

"Admiral, I'm getting some really strange readings near the edge of the system."

"What kind of readings?"

"Honestly sir, I can't make heads or tails of it. Take a look."

On a small screen a funnel-like projection began to form. Out of this projection came an object which Akbar could almost immediately tell was a ship of some type but it didn't look like any Imperial vessel he'd ever seen.

"Bring the fleet to alert. Maintain position but be ready. Get Rogue Squadron in space. See if you can open a channel."

"Channel open sir."

"This is Admiral Ackbar, of the New Republic fleet. State your identity...order Rogue squadron to do a flyby."

"They're responding sir."

"_This is Admiral Johnathan Keys of the Federation starship Zeus. We mean no harm._"

"What can I do for you Admiral Keys?"

"_I'm afraid we're lost Admiral. Our ship was caught in a rift and we ended up here. This is not our galaxy or our reality. We've already met the Empire and decided seeking help from them would be unwise. We were hoping the Rebel Alliance would provide us with a safe haven while we figure out a way to get home._"

"You're from another galaxy?"

"_Yes. We call it the Milky Way. My government, the United Federation of Planets functions much like the Galactic Republic you are trying to restore. If you'll allow us to come aboard we could discuss things further."_

"Very well. We will prepare our docking bay."

"_Understood, Zeus out."_

* * *

Keys turned to his senior staff. "Away team, shuttlebay 1. You have the bridge Ken."

Keys, Scott, Lucian and Jason piled into a turbolift and took it down to the shuttlebay. Their shuttle took off without incident and they approached the large Mon Calamari Cruiser. "Look at the size of that thing!" said Scott. "Fighters inbound, hope it's an escort." he reported.

"It's a beautiful ship." said Lucian

The shuttle was directed to a hangar bay on the port side. The hanger itself was huge, easily large enough to fight whole squadrons of fighters so the shuttle wasn't a problem at all. They disembarked to find a small group of humans and aliens waiting for them. The senior officer in each group stepped forward. Keys offered his hand and Ackbar shook it. "Permission to come aboard Admiral Ackbar."

"Permission granted. I'd like you to meet some of the Rebellions greatest heroes. Han Solo and his Wookiee companion Chewbacca. Leia Organa of Alderaan. Mon Mothma our head of state. Generals Calrissian and Skywalker."

"My senior staff. Commander Lucian, science officer, Scott, chief tactical officer and Jason, chief of security and MACO commander." replied Keys

"A pleasure, if you'll follow me we've prepared a conference room."

* * *

The next three hours were spent getting to know one another. Keys gave a short history lesson on the Federation and later Alpha Alliance. Mon Mothma explained how the Rebellion came into being, and how after the victory at Endor had declared itself to be a New Republic. Mon Mothma agreed to provide the Zeus with protection while they figure out a way to get home. In exchange, Keys offered engineering and medical support and minor technical improvements. The New Republic was even treated to a demonstration of the transporter as they beamed aboard the Zeus for a tour, while Jason took the shuttle back.

Keys lead the New Republic officials to the bridge, they were astounded by what they saw.

"A most impressive vessel Admiral." commented Ackbar.

"You ain't seen nothing yet." replied Scott with pride.

* * *

Over the next month as the science teams poured over the data collected from the rift, engineers from the Zeus examined the technology the New Republic had available. They improved targeting software by 10%, and fighter pilots got improved flight suits. While normal suits lasted three hours in vacuum, they did not retain body heat so pilots still needed to be treated for exposure. The new and improved suits lasted nine hours and retained body heat allowing the Republic time to clear a battle area of hostiles then moving to recover pilots. Keys also authorized the use of the ships industrial replicators to make spare parts for the New Republic fleet.

Six months later the science teams were getting closer to figuring out how to get home. Keys decided to rework his deal with the New Republic. The Zeus began actively participating in raids on Imperial targets. The New Republic stationed a squadron of fighters aboard the Zeus and Commander Antilles acted as the liaison officer.

* * *

Kirtan Loor stepped into the room to which he had been summoned. His rendezvous with the Carrack-class cruiser _Expeditious_, had been aborted because the ship had been destroyed by an unknown vessel. The shuttle he was on immediately turned around and jumped back to Coruscant. Isard quickly summoned him as the shuttle landed at the Imperial palace.

"Agent Loor, you're back early. What happened?"

"When we came out of hyperspace we found the Vladet system under attack by Rebel starfighters and an unknown ship. The unknown ship was obviously allied with the Rebels and appears to be quite powerful. Both the _Ravager _and the _Expeditious _were destroyed by the ship. I've never seen a ship like it before. On my way over I sent the sensor readings from the shuttle to Imperial Intelligence. As far as I know, there is no indication where the ship came from."

"Show me the ship." she replied

Loor immediately held up a data pad with a picture of the ship.

"I've seen this ship before." she said

"If I may Madam Director, do you know where the ship came from?"

"Not precisely, but I do know it is not a Rebel ship per se. It is however allied with them. I want you to find this ship. Do your best to capture it, but if it's destroyed I won't hold it against you."

"Yes Madam Director."

Loor went to a small office and began searching the database. According to several reports the ship appears to use something other than hyperspace for faster than light travel. It also appears to be heavily armed for a ship it's size, roughly the size of an older Venator-class star destroyer. While it is a large ship it's maneuverability is a subject of debate. Video records clearly indicate the ship can maneuver like a much smaller ship and can dish out and take large amounts of punishment. He put together a report which included the disappearance of a Corellian Corvette near the edge of the Corellian system, a later report from an officer who escaped Rebel custody indicated the ship had been captured. Not by Rebels but by this new ship and if reports are to be believed, they used some sort of matter-energy transportation device. Negating the need to dock or send assault shuttles. He quickly reported this to Isard.

"Madam Director I've done an analysis of the alien ship. Tactically speaking it appears to have the firepower of at least a victory-class destroyer but maneuverability on par with Corvette-sized ships. A dangerous opponent to say the least. However I believe I have found the first recorded appearance of the ship. Records indicate that the Corellian Corvette _Night Caller_ was captured just outside the Corellian system. I believe this is where the ship was first encountered. I request permission to use a star destroyer to examine the area."

Isard thought for a moment then nodded. "Take the _Eviscerator_. Report back what you find."

Loor nodded and boarded a shuttle to take him to the destroyer. The _Eviscerator_ jumped to the edge of the Corellian system as soon as he was aboard.

* * *

The Star Destroyer _Eviscerator_ reverted from hyperspace near the last known coordinates of the _Night Caller_ and immediately began scanning the area. The sensor operator immediately noticed the strange readings he was getting.

"Sir, I'm getting some really weird readings."

"Define weird Lieutenant."

"I wish I could sir, but I can't make heads or tales of these readings."

The Captain looked over the Lieutenant's shoulder but couldn't make out the readings himself. Then the ship began to shake.

"What's happening?" asked Agent Loor.

"Energy spike directly ahead. I think it was triggered by our scan. We're being pulled towards it." reported the sensor officer.

"All engines full reverse!" ordered the Captain

"No effect!" replied the helm

"All hands brace for impact!"

A/N: De ja vu anyone? Please note that i'm tweaking the timeline here a bit. The Coruscant campaign will start approximately six months after Endor instead of a full year. Don't worry there is more to come!


	4. The Other Final Frontier

Chapter 3 The Other Final Frontier

Kirtan Loor woke slowly. As he got to his feet he could see the Captain and several other crewmen waking as well. He helped the Captain get to his feet.

"Status report." asked the Captain

"Weapons and shields are online." reported the weapons officer

"Navigation is malfunctioning. I'm attempting to triangulate our position using the stars." reported the navigator.

"Casualties have been reported but we have no fatalities yet. Medical teams to the bridge." reported one crewman who was attending to the few injuries on the bridge.

The navigator made a second report a few minutes later. "Sir, I can't get a fix on our position. There are no recognizable constellations for us to calculate our position. Thousands of stars appear to be out of alignment."

"Get started on repairs. And deploy some scout shuttles, one light year jumps. Let's see what the surrounding area has. Let's get a star chart of the area going." ordered the Captain.

"Captain, I think it's safe to say we're not in our galaxy anymore." said Loor

"What makes you think that?" asked the Captain

"Not only is our state-of-the-art navigational system malfunctioning but we can't use the stars to locate our position. Since our galaxy has been largely explored for thousands of years what other alternative is there? Furthermore, I believe the alien ship we're after is from this galaxy. Or at the very least came through the same anomaly we did." said Loor

"If you're right then we could be in their territory. We don't know what other kinds of ships and weapons they might have. We'll have to be on alert." replied the Captain.

"Sir, report from one of our sentries. They've located a star system not three light years from here. Five planets with the fifth one appearing to be habitable. They've also located what appears to be a space station in orbit of the fifth planet." reported the flight officer.

"Tell them not to get within sensor range. Jump in near the polar caps of the fifth planet and monitor communications. See if you find any ships matching or of similar design to the one we've been looking for."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Three hours passed and the shuttle gathered a great deal of information then returned to the ship. The pilot in charge of the shuttle made a report to the Captain. "I believe it is a trading station of some sort. We saw vessels that were clearly cargo ships but still others I believe were military vessels. There were at least four ships that I believe were of similar design. Most of the designs we've seen vary on a single theme. Two cylinders connected to a cigar-type section which is connected to a saucer-like section. Three of the ships were fairly small and only had a saucer and a pair of cylinders. I believe the cylinders are part of their engines. We also observed their means of faster than light travel. The cylinders flash just before the ship jumps. I don't believe they need hyperspace calculations to use their mode of transportation."

"Thank you Lieutenant. Dismissed." said the Captain. "Well Agent Loor what do you think?"

"I think the station seems as good a place as any to find some information. I believe we'll have to take it by force though. Clearly these people are allied with the Rebels and that makes them our enemy."

"I agree."

* * *

Information Raid

The _Eviscerator _dropped out of hyperspace near what the Federation calls space station K-7. While an old station, constant upgrades have kept it in service and a recent refit of the weapons systems put it near the strength of DS9. The Star Destroyer launched fighters immediately, expecting the same from the station. The station hailed them but the Captain ignored it. He instead ordered the ship and fighters to open fire. The fighters were already in range but their shots sizzled off a bubble-like shield protecting the station. The Star Destroyer caused more damage but sensors only recorded a 10% drop in shield strength.

Then K-7 returned fire.

Loor and the Captain stood aghast as beams of energy shot out towards the fighters in rapid succession, wiping out three squadrons of fighters in less than a minute. Then stronger beams hit the star destroyer itself partially penetrating the shields to scorch hull plating. The Captain ordered the ship in closer and the station launched a volley of torpedoes. Point defenses engaged and knocked some of them out but most detonated in close proximity to the destroyer. That barrage reduced shield strength by 13%. The Star Destroyer launched an assault shuttle that managed to get past the beams remarkable firing rate and accuracy. The shuttle attached itself and began burning through the hull.

* * *

"_This is Commander Naomi Wildman of Space Station K-7. We're under attack by an unknown alien ship. Requesting immediate assistance._" was the distress call received by not only Federation ships but also Klingon and Romulan vessels. In accordance with Alpha Alliance Charter they responded with all available ships.

* * *

"MACO teams reporting enemy boarding parties on deck three section twenty-five. They're are reportedly wearing bleach-white armor and carrying an unknown directed energy weapon. Security protocols engaging...hold on. It looks like they're trying to download our database." reported Lieutenant Commander Icheb.

"Lock down the main computer. No unauthorized access." replied Wildman.

"Done, but I think they got a little bit."

"Can you tell what was downloaded?"

"Not yet. They used unfamiliar programming to get past our first layers of security. Doesn't look like they got anything classified." he replied.

* * *

Lieutenant Tal Nala lead a team of MACOs down a hallway under they came under fire. Angry red darts of energy bounced off her shield and she immediately aimed her phaser rifle and opened fire. A trio of energy pulses spat from her rifle and put down one of the white-washed armor-wearing intruders. The MACOs behind her took out three more before the remaining intruders fell back. She moved forward and knelt beside one of the enemy casualties. The intruder was humanoid that much she could tell. With a little strength she pulled the helmet off and gasped in surprise.

The intruder was human.

* * *

Naomi Wildman pointed a phaser pistol at a white-armored intruder and pressed the button. A flash of energy sparked off the shields and the man went down. She aimed and fired at another and another but a blue circle hit her from the side. Her shields were depleted and her left side was numbed by the effect of the stun blast. She stumbled and dropped her phaser. An intruder who was clearly human walked up to her.

"Who are you?" she asked weakly.

"I am Kirtan Loor, Imperial Intelligence. You will give me access to your computers or you will die." he said

"Then I'll die. I won't give you anything." she replied

One of the stormtroopers who was a computer expert tried to break in through one of the consoles but was unsuccessful. "Sir, I can't get it. We'll have to make do with what we've got." he reported.

"Well if we can't have the database, we'll just take her with us. Bind her hands, if she resists, stun her." he ordered.

His comlink beeped and he clicked it on. _"Agent Loor, this is the __Eviscerator, do you have the database?"_ asked the Captain

"Not all of it. But I believe I've found another source of information. We'll be on our way shortly."

_ "Make it quick, half-a-dozen ships just appeared and attacked us. We're doing our best but they are very quick."_

The station rumbled heavily and Loor asked for a status report. "Sir, one of the ships fired on our assault shuttle and destroyed it. We have no way back." reported a stormtrooper.

Loor looked around in panic but quickly composed himself. He remembered rumors of a matter-energy converter used by the alien ship. _If the technology is used on their ships it much be used on their stations as well_ he thought to himself. He pointed a blaster at Naomi. "You, tell me about the matter-energy converter."

"You mean a transporter?" she asked a possible plan forming in her mind.

"Yes if that's what you call it. Tell me about it."

She decided to play along for now. If she could get access to the transporters it might give her an edge. "It breaks down your molecules and stores them as an energy pattern. Then reassembles it at another location."

"Take me to this transporter of yours." Loor replied

She lead them to a transporter pad just to the side of the command area. She began tapping a console while Loor watched her closely. He saw something that caught his attention. "What's transporter protocol five?"

"It's just a safety measure. Nothing to worry about." she replied

Loor looked at her closely then nodded to his men. "Let's go, you will transport with us back to our ship. No tricks."

She nodded and stepped on the pad. The pad lit up and just before they dematerialized she grinned...

A/N: Don't make the mistake of thinking this is gonna be one of those fics where one side completely destroys the other... The Zeus is not equipped with a hyperdrive. As I explained in the second chapter, transwarp drive will be somewhat faster than hyperspace. Kudos to whoever figures out what 'transporter protocol five' is.


	5. Captured

Chapter 4

Capture

Kirtan Loor was furious. The Starfleet officer he had captured tricked him. He and his troopers had been transported to the brig with their weapons gone. Even the troopers had their armor removed and were only dressed in thin undergarments. The cell they were in was semi-spacious with what appeared to be a force field preventing escape. Touching the field resulted in electric shock. The Starfleet officer who identified herself as Commander Naomi Wildman stood before them. Another officer stood nearby with more of the guards in grey armor.

* * *

The Captain of the _Eviscerator_ was getting desperate. Although he had received a partial transmission much of it remained with the team still on the station which according to some reports had been captured. _We can't stay any longer. We must take what we have back to the Empire _he thought. "Status?" he asked

"Sir, shields are down to 50% and dropping...we just lost another turbolaser battery." reported the tactical officer.

"Helm lay in a course back to the anomaly. Best possible speed." the captain ordered

"Aye sir."

The Star Destroyer's sublight engines lit space and pushed the ship to the edge of the system. All the while several ships of unknown design were hammering the destroyers shields. Some of the ships appear to use an exotic type of beam weapon while others used pulses. The beam weapons were partially penetrating the shields. Not enough to puncture the hull but they still took out a number of turbolaser emplacements. His reserve fighters were gone, destroyed in seconds by rapid firing beam weapons. The destroyer had taken out some of the smaller ships but the larger cruiser-sized vessels could take more punishment. The _Eviscerator _was simply overwhelmed by enemy ships.

As the destroyer made its run to hyperspace, a small, compact Federation ship came up from behind and below. A volley of pulse phasers and quantum torpedoes managed to breach a section of hull near the engines. Unfortunately it also disabled the hyperdrive. The Captain thought quick. Then motioned for the navigator.

"Lieutenant Josmar, download all the data we've collected about this area of space to a shuttle. Take the shuttle back to the rift and try to get back. Make your way to Coruscant. Director Isard must get this information."

"Aye sir."

"Security, escort the Lieutenant to a shuttle, they might try to board us. So be ready. Move it!" ordered the Captain.

The Lieutenant grabbed a datapad and downloaded the information then sprinted to the turbolift along with four stormtroopers. The Captain looked back at his crew. "All hands, prepare to repel boarders."

With that order the crew scrambled to defensive positions and stormtroopers moved to guard the doors.

A larger Federation ship moved alongside the destroyer and fired its beam weapon at the shield generator domes. The domes exploded leaving the ship vulnerable. However instead of firing again and destroying the ship, a dozen soldiers in grey shiny armor appeared out of thin air on the bridge. Weapons fire was exchanged but the crew was unprepared for the unusual manner in which they were boarded. Engineering and other sections were quickly taken. Then a MACO requested several canisters of Neurozine, an anesthetic that could be distributed in a gaseous form. He attached the canisters to the environmental system and let it run. Most of the crew was incapacitated fairly quickly except for the stormtroopers who had their breathing equipment.

* * *

Lieutenant Josmar ran down the hallway closest to the hanger deck. His stormtrooper escort had been reduced to two as they encountered an enemy boarding party and fought their way past them. Josmar ran up the ramp of a shuttle and initiated an abbreviated preflight checklist. Two of the enemy soldiers entered the bay and surrounded the shuttle. His stormtrooper escort went outside and bought time for the Lieutenant to take off. He immediately started the navicomp on a hyperspace solution and took the shuttle into evasive maneuvers. The enemy ships were too busy boarding the destroyer to notice the shuttle slipping out from underneath. Three minutes later he pulled the lever and the stars stretched to infinity and he was safe. Not a moment later came out of hyperspace near where the destroyer had been pulled into this galaxy. He initiated a deep scan and saw the energy wave appear then quickly approach his ship. He quickly dialed up the inertial compensator but was still knocked unconscious.

* * *

_Space Station K-7 twelve hours after Imperial attack_

Commander Wildman entered the brig. The enemy ship had been captured and taken to a starbase for evaluation. The crew of the ship was being held in a makeshift prison camp on Sherman's planet. She had read a preliminary report on the Galactic Empire and was astonished to find mankind living in another galaxy and reality. Her first thought upon reading about the Empire was _sounds like a galactic version of the Nazi regime_. With that in mind she began the interrogation of Kirtan Loor, an intelligence operative of the Empire.

"Kirtan Loor. Imperial Intelligence. I'm going to ask you questions and you're going to answer them. If you don't Admiral Sivot here will pull what we need to know from your mind. First things first though. We captured your ship the Star Destroyer _Eviscerator._ I want to know why you are here. And what you wanted with our database."

"I'll tell you nothing!" he spat.

"If you insist. Admiral?"

The Admiral nodded to a security guard who deactivated the force field. Sivot approached Loor and placed his hands on the man's face. "My mind to your mind...your thoughts to my...thoughts..."

Loor fought with everything he could but he couldn't resist the disciplined Vulcan mind.

After thirty minutes it was finally over and Loor breathed steadily. The Vulcan was also exhausted from the mental exertion. "His mind is very clear. I surmise that he has an eidetic memory. I will rest, then prepare a report of what I have discovered." he said

* * *

_Imperial Shuttle attached to Star Destroyer Eviscerator_

Lieutenant Josmar woke slowly and painfully. He checked his position and was relieved to find himself on the edge of the Corellian system. He set the computer to calculate a jump to Coruscant and when it was finished pulled the lever again. He winced in pain as he attempted to move to the other chair near the communications array. He recorded a distress call and set it to transmit as soon as he reverted to realspace. After an hour in hyperspace however, he passed out from the pain.

Four hours after that the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace and transmitted the distress call. The Victory-class destroyer _Monarch_ responded to the call, towing the ship into its hangar and having a medical team standing by to immediately board. The _Monarch _also informed Imperial Command of the situation and a Commander was dispatched to inform director Isard.

* * *

_Director Isard's Office_

Commander Drif Evalin quietly stepped into the director's office. "Forgive me for disturbing you madam director, but I have news regarding the Star Destroyer _Eviscerator._"

"What is it Commander?"

"A shuttle attached to the destroyer has dropped out of hyperspace. On it was a single pilot, a lieutenant. His distress call claimed that the _Eviscerator_ had been captured by unknown forces, the pilot of the shuttle was ordered by the Captain to take what information they had and return it here. Apparently they were pursuing leads on an alien ship that took them to a point just outside the Corellian system. The Destroyer encountered an anomaly and was transported to another galaxy where they encountered ships of a similar design. The Captain ordered an information raid on local space station but was overwhelmed by the responding ships."

"Where is this lieutenant now? I wish to speak with him." she replied

"Being treated for injuries sustained during his flight from the ship. He's aboard the destroyer _Monarch_."

"Arrange for a shuttle to take me there at once." she ordered

"A shuttle is already standing by. If you would follow me madam director."

She smiled as she followed the Commander, she appreciated efficiency.

* * *

It was three hours before the medical teams allowed the director to question the pilot. Even then the lead doctor requested that she keep the questioning brief.

"Lieutenant Josmar, can you hear me?" she asked quietly.

His eyes opened slowly. "Yes...madam director."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I'll try ma'am. I'm not sure I believe what happened."

"That's alright, just start at the beginning."

"We had dropped out of hyperspace at the coordinates where the _Night Caller_ was captured six months ago. We initiated a scan and some kind of anomaly engulfed us in an energy wave. We tried to back away but the engines weren't strong enough. We were knocked unconscious during the transition. When we woke we couldn't find our position, we even tried triangulating our position from known constellations there was just one problem. We couldn't find any known constellations. The Captain ordered scout shuttles deployed and a few hours later we found a stellar system with five planets and a space station. Agent Loor requested an information raid as the shuttle had observed several ships of different but similar design to the one we were pursuing. We launched three squadrons of fighters and an assault shuttle. We gave the fighters cover while the shuttle moved in. The station fired back but with weapons unlike anything I've ever seen before. First the beams fired in rapid succession wiping out our fighters in less than a minute. Then a volley of torpedoes from the station reduced our shields by thirteen percent and those were proximity detonations. Our assault shuttle managed to attach itself to the station and deployed the boarding party. According to some reports, Kirtan Loor had captured the commander of the station but was unable to download more than a few bits of information from their main computer. The shuttle was destroyed while still attached to the station, our boarding parties were eliminating and Loor never made it back to the ship. The Captain ordered me to set a course out of the system but we were being slowly overwhelmed with ships. Just before we jumped our hyperdrive was disabled. Fearing that they might try to board us the Captain ordered me to download all the data we had and take a shuttle back to Coruscant. There was a running firefight to the shuttle but I made it and took off. One of the ships tried to pursue me but I was able to jump to hyperspace before they caught me. The last I saw of the _Eviscerator_ she was dead in space and surrounded by enemy ships. I was unconscious when I arrived at Coruscant but I set the computer to transmit every bit of information directly to Imperial Intelligence." he said.

"Thank you Lieutenant. You did well. Rest now." she replied then turned to an aid. "Let me know when Intelligence is done with it's reports. I will analyse the data myself."

"Yes ma'am."


	6. Battle of Borleias

Chapter 5

Battle of Borleias

_Admiral Keys Personal Log: The New Republic is making great strides in its effort to destroy the Empire. The Zeus has participated in numerous strikes against Imperial targets with minimal casualties. Our next target is codenamed 'Blackmoon'. I will be attending a classified briefing on Noquivzor. My Chief Engineer reports he is almost finished refitting the corvette we captured when we first arrived. I must admit to being intrigued by what he could do. Give an engineer an alien ship and who knows what he'll do with it._

Admiral Keys sat through the briefing presented by General Kre'fey. He agreed with Commander Antilles concerns about the lack of viable intelligence on 'Blackmoon'. After Admiral Ackbar threatened to destroy the specially made simulator packages for the mission if Kre'fey didn't get the information they wanted. Keys spoke up with an idea.

"General, Admiral, we've recently equipped my ship with a cloaking device. We could use my ship to provide accurate intelligence without the Imperials being alerted to our presence."

"Our theories on cloaking technology tell us that a ship equipped with such a device would be as blind as those searching for it. Useless in a reconnaissance mission." said Kre'fey.

"Our cloak operates on different principles than because our sensors remain fully operational. I propose sending in the Zeus under cloak ahead of the main assault force at warp speed. The astrometric anomalies don't present much of a problem for warp drive. So we can come in on the opposite side of the moon scan from over the horizon using stealth probes. We can scan the base to determine it's defenses. If it's as the Bothans say than the mission is good, if not then we can call off the attack or have reinforcements standing by." said Keys

"I agree with Admiral Keys, General. Your assistance is most appreciated John." said Ackbar.

"Any other questions?" asked Kre'fey.

* * *

Later on Admiral Keys met with the Provisional Council.

"Thank you for seeing me councilors. I've come to inform you that we've come up with a possible way to return to our galaxy. After the Borleias operation we'll be conducting several experiments in deep space. If we're lucky we should be able to return to our galaxy shortly after this operation."

Mon Mothma rose with the rest of the Council.

"On behalf of the New Republic, I thank you for your assistance to us and wish you best of luck on your return home." she said

"Thank you Mon Mothma." Keys replied.

* * *

A few days later the _Zeus_ dropped out of warp under cloak near 'Blackmoon'. Keys sat in his chair on the bridge.

"Deploy the stealth probes." he ordered.

"Aye sir."

A series of stealthed probes shot out from the torpedo launchers. They made their way over the horizon and began scanning the planet.

"Full sensor scan, Mr. Lucien. We don't want to miss anything." said Keys.

"Aye sir...scan complete, getting results now...my readings indicate nothing out of the ordinary however..." he trailed off as he concentrated on his console.

"What is it?" asked Keys

"I'm detecting a second energy signature, possibly a secondary reactor site. Looks like there's a conduit of some kind connecting the base to the second facility. I'm also detecting additional TIE launch tubes at the other facility however, there is no way to tell as of yet what is being housed there."

"Can we take it out from orbit?" asked Keys

"Negative, the conduit is buried too deeply to penetrate with our phasers. I recommend deploying a platoon of MACOs to the second facility to shut it down. If we can shut it down then we're back to the original defense estimates."

"Very well. Open a secure channel to Kre'fey."

"Channel open."

"_Kre'fey here."_

"General, we've found what appears to be a secondary power source for the base. We're preparing to send in ground forces to neutralize it. Once that is accomplished the base itself should fall relatively easily."

"_Very well Admiral, I will await your signal._"

"Major Columbus, deploy two platoons of MACOs to this facility and capture it, send down an Omega team as well to disable the launch tunnels for the TIEs."

"Aye sir. First and Second Platoons report to assault transporter room 1. Omega team Alpha report to transporter room three." he said then left his post on the bridge to join the ground troops.

* * *

Major Columbus stood before two platoons of MACOs in the assault transporter room. An assault transporter was specially designed to deploy a full platoon of MACOs at one time. Standard transporters could only transport a maximum of seven people. Assault transporters could transport up to thirty at one time. "Ten hut!" he yelled.

At once sixty MACOs snapped to attention, their rifles held in front at the ready. Columbus strood between the two platoons. "Men, keep your eyes downrange, fingers on your triggers and we all go home in one piece...Am I right MACOs?" he said

"SIR YES SIR."

"Uh huh darn right I am. First platoon ready position, move it!" he ordered

The first platoon stepped onto the large transporter pad and Major Columbus nodded to the operator. "Energize. Second Platoon standby." he ordered.

The first platoon dissipated from sight and reappeared on the planet's surface. The second platoon quickly followed along with an Omega Force Team transported into to the facility itself. They moved silently through the brush towards their objectives.

* * *

Major Columbus crept forward towards the Alderaan Biotics facility. There were two stormtroopers guarding the main entrance. Using hand signals, he ordered two MACOs armed with sniper rifles to take out the guards simultaneously. Both guards went down and the MACOs moved up. A breach charge was set and the door blew in. The MACOs rushed in to no immediate resistance. The platoon split into squads and began sweeping the facility. At the rear entrance another platoon of MACOs breached and cleared the immediate area, then split and began going room to room. The Omega team had beamed directly into the facility near the power generator. They breached the generator room and cleared it of the two stormtroopers and three technicians who were on duty. Then the engineer of the team began the shutdown procedures and reported to his team leader. "Main Power will go down in sixty seconds. Backup should kick in ten seconds later, but won't be enough to reinforce the shields of the base." he said

"Very good. Hold this position. Blue Leader this is Red Leader." said the team leader

"_Go ahead Red Leader._" replied Major Columbus.

"Power is going down. Holding position."

"Understood."

Major Columbus nodded in approval, the Omega team had accomplished its mission, now the MACOs had to finish theirs. He led a squad down a hall clearing it room by room. They had encountered moderate resistance so far. The next room they entered appeared to be a comm center. Two stormtroopers and five techs offered minimal resistance to a squad of MACOs. The last tech surrendered by tossing his weapon on the ground.

"Is the main base on alert?" asked Columbus

"No. We never had a chance to call them." the tech replied.

"Good. Corporal, bind him." Columbus ordered

"Yes sir."

A MACO moved forward and binded the man's hands.

* * *

A full hour passed and the MACOs possessed the facility, including the two additional fighter squadrons housed there. "Zeus, this is Columbus, mission complete."

"_Excellent work Major. Stand by for extraction to the primary objective."_

With a signal from the Zeus, a small Rebel fleet dropped out of hyperspace and began pounding on the bases shields. The base's commander, Evir Derricote was caught by surprise and ordered the Biotics facility to reinforce the shields. However, no reply came and the shields collapsed. The Zeus moved into orbit over the base and disabled the ion cannons. Rebel assault ships and a few Federation shuttles landed on the base grounds and captured the base. Derricote surrendered and was questioned by Alliance Intelligence. The Zeus left a day later to an undisclosed location in deep space...


	7. Return Home

Chapter 6 Return Home

Admiral Keys sat in the conference room and Commander Lucien gave a presentation on the experiments he would be conducting to find a way to return home. As a tactical officer, science was not really his forte. It was long on big scientific phrases and seemed very complex. Lucien must have noticed because near the end he simplified what he was going to do.

"Put simply, we're going to use a Tyken's Rift and a modulated Tachyon beam to find our galaxy, reality and time. Once the rift is stable we can pull data from the other side via the modulated tachyon beam. The rift should lead to our galaxy at least. The tachyon beam will let us change the specific place, reality and time. However, we must be very precise in the modulation of the beam. If we're not careful we could end up in the mirror universe or a hundred years before the Federation was formed. The power requirements will be extreme we will need every bit of power the ship can spare to maintain the rift and beam." Lucien finished

Keys nodded to Genaro "We should shut down non-essential systems for awhile then. No holodecks, restrict replicators to the mess halls, the industrial replicators can be taken offline too. The Quantum slipstream and transwarp drives can also be taken down as well."

"That should be more than enough sir." replied Genaro

"When will you be ready?" Keys asked Lucien

"Give us a few hours to reconfigure the deflector and we'll be ready. The actual experiment should take too long though." replied Lucien

"Very well, get started." replied Keys

* * *

Three hours later the Zeus generated a Tyken's Rift a thousand meters off the bow, then projected a tachyon beam into the rift. The rift fluctuated somewhat then stabilized. Lucien modulated the beam carefully and was able to start pulling data from the other side. "Ok, I've confirmed that the rift will take us back to the Milky Way galaxy. I just have to modulate the beam here...Now it will take us to Earth. Hold on...nope not the right reality, I'm remodulating."

"What made you think it wasn't the right reality?" asked Keys

"There were Borg ships surrounding Earth. Anyway, I think I've got the timeframe correct, I'm rechecking the reality...Got it. We should be good now. Let's send a probe through and confirm our findings. I'm instructing the probe to open a channel to Starfleet Command and transmitting our quantum signature. They should send a probe back through with a reply." said Lucien

"Very well. Mr. Scott, Launch the probe."

"Aye sir."

A probe shot out from one of the Zeus's torpedo launchers and entered the rift.

* * *

Vice Admiral Jizer, a science officer was on his Vesta-class ship, the Isaac Newton. His science officer had called him to the bridge to check on some strange readings out near the Earth's moon. He checked the readout on his command chair.

"This is obviously a Tyken's Rift. But I've never seen it modulated this precisely before." he said to himself.

"Sir, the rift is fluctuating...somethings coming through!" reported a Lieutenant.

"Go to yellow alert! It could be a Mirror universe incursion. Contact Spacedock have them send some reinforcements." he ordered.

"Aye sir." replied an ensign.

The rift fluctuated again and grew in size slightly. Out of the rift came a probe. It immediately transmitted a message. "_This is the U.S.S. Zeus, Admiral Keys commanding. My crew and I are safe. Please confirm the quantum signature of the probe with your own."_

Jizer stood aghast. He couldn't believe it. The Zeus had been missing for seven months. "Contact Starfleet and scan the probe. Confirm their quantum signature with ours."

"Aye sir...quantum signature matches sir. It's ours." replied the science officer

"Sir, message from Starfleet, they're ordering us to send a probe back with a response." reported an ensign.

"Do it."

A probe launched from the Newton and entered the rift.

* * *

A cheer erupted on the Zeus's bridge as the quantum signature was confirmed. Keys nodded to the helmsmen. "Take us in ensign. Let's go home."

The Zeus entered the rift and for a few minutes everyone bumped around. Eventually they came out of it and Keys had Lucien to confirm their position, reality and timeframe. The Zeus was already surrounded by Federation ships welcoming them back. "Quantum signature confirmed sir. We're back. Message from Starfleet, it's Admiral Quinn."

"On screen."

"Welcome back Zeus, I look forward to hearing about your time away from us." he said

"It'll be in my report sir. Lucien coordinate with the other science ships to close the rift, we don't want any uninvited guests."

"Aye sir. A destabilized tachyon pulse should do the trick sir." he replied

"I'll be in my ready room. Ensign, set a course for Spacedock at full impulse."

"Aye sir."

* * *

The Zeus pulled into Spacedock along with several other ships and the crew was met with cheers at the airlock. Admiral Keys shook hands all around then after a reception slept in his quarters for eight hours. In the morning he filed a report with Starfleet Command and later met with Admiral Quinn.

"John, welcome back. I hope you got a good night's sleep. I've got some questions about your report."

"Thank you sir, I did. I'll answer them as best I can."

"That's all I want. Now you reported that the galaxy you ended up in was far away from here and in another reality and time, is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"And this other galaxy had a thriving _galactic_ civilization which included humans and thousands of new alien species."

"Correct sir."

"About this Galactic Empire, how would you characterize it?"

"Ruthless sir, there were many instances some of which we witnessed where Imperial ships would fire on civilians. Their ships are quite powerful. One of my officers said it reminded him of the old Nazi regime from Earth's history and I have to agree."

"I see. I take it you haven't heard."

"Heard what sir?"

"One of our space stations, K-7 was attacked by a ship from this 'Galactic Empire'. They managed to board the station and get some basic information from our computers before reinforcements arrived and threatened to overwhelm the ship. We were able to stop the ship from getting away however a shuttle managed to slip by us as we boarded it. We captured what they call an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, this one was a Mark II version. We captured the crew and have been analysing the ship and it's database. We've been trying to figure out why they attacked us and how they got here."

"I think I know why sir. When we first arrived and we saw what the Empire was about I quickly decided that seeking help from them would not be wise. Instead I sought the help of the Rebel Alliance. A group of freedom fighters trying to restore democratic government to the galaxy. At first I offered medical and basic engineering support and minor technical upgrades in exchange they gave us a safe haven while our science department figured out a way to return home. After four or five months I decided to take a semi-active role in the Rebellion, since they fought for essentially the same values we do. We participated in raids against Imperial targets and assisted the Rebellion as a mobile spare parts platform, using our industrial replicators to make spare parts for them. But how did the destroyer get here in the first place?" asked Keys

"Apparently they found out where you first appeared and went there. When they scanned the anomaly they were pulled to our galaxy."

"That's basically what happened to us. But how did they end up near K-7. That's near Klingon territory. We were in the Delta Volanis cluster that's where they should have emerged." said Keys.

"We're as confused as you are on that but the rift seems to have closed. We sent probes to both areas and found nothing. However with your return we might have a way to strike at the Empire should they return."

"Sir, I would have thought the attack on our station would have been an act of war in and of itself."

"They were apparently after information that would lead to the capture of your ship. They didn't count on transporter technology which is how we captured a ship with a crew of thirty-seven thousand. Anyway to answer your question, it was thought that there would be no way to strike back at the Empire since it came from another galaxy so it would have been futile to declare war on them. However, if we can recreate the rift that brought you home but reverse it to send ships there we could start actively assisting this Rebellion, if it fights for the same reasons we do as you said. How far along were they?"

"When we arrived they had just won a major victory at a place called Endor. Apparently the Emperor himself died there and since then the Empire has been splitting apart due to internal strife. The seat of government in that galaxy is a planet called Coruscant. We assisted the Rebels in capturing a planet near Coruscant just before we returned. They had planned to use that planet as a staging area for an assault on Coruscant. I imagine they would have captured it but they time we sent any ships back. After that it's a mop up operation of the various warlords and Moffs, regional governors the Emperor had put in place after he dissolved what used to be the Republic Senate."

"Ok, we'll keep that in mind. For now I'd like to assign your science officer to a special task force I'm putting together to find a way to return to that galaxy. I want him to see about the possibility of creating a stable rift or wormhole between our galaxies."

"I'm sure he'll enjoy the work sir..." replied Keys, he got up, shook the Admiral's hand and began to walk out when the lights suddenly dimmed and the Red Alert klaxon started going off. "Quinn to ops, what's going on?" he asked

"Sir, we're under attack. It's the Empire." replied a Commander

A/N: Wow two chapters at once. Don't worry I'll connect how the Empire got to Earth in the next chapter. Thanks for everyone who's not flaming me with 'your story sucks' type reviews. I enjoy reviews with constructive criticism.


	8. A Day of Imfamy

Chapter 7

A Day of Infamy

Ysanne Isard looked at the intelligence report concerning the Alpha Alliance from the Milky Way galaxy. She was already furious at the loss of the Borleias base and rumors abounded that the Federation ship Zeus assisted in the attack on the base. She knew the Rebels were on Coruscant in the form of Rogue Squadron. It was only a matter of time before the Rebels came to conquer Coruscant. But she had a plan to not only destroy the Rebellion but strike back at the Federation at large for assisting the Rebels. She put her own analysis together and called one of her senior captains. A man by the name of Frank Bathens.

"Captain Bathens, I want you to assemble a taskforce of Star Destroyers and accompanying escorts. You will take your ships through the rift near Corellia, find Earth and do as much damage as you can. The ship that has been assisting the Rebellion is from a faction known as the United Federation of Planets. The military arm of which is called Starfleet. They will pay for assisting the Rebellion. Look for Starfleet Command. It should be on Earth itself, I want you to destroy it and any other military targets you can think of. Use ships from the Corellian garrison that should give you enough ships to cause major damage." she said

"Yes madam director." replied the Captain

* * *

Captain Bathens had gathered a small fleet of ships from Corellia. Six Assassin-class corvettes, two lancer-class frigates, four Nebulon-B2 frigates, eight Carrack-class cruisers, three strike cruisers configured as TIE carriers and six more strike cruisers carrying stormtroopers. Rounding out the fleet and providing the majority of the firepower, a single Imperial-II class Star Destroyer, two Imperial-I class destroyers and two more Victory-II class ships. Bathens took his fleet to the anomaly and entered it.

* * *

When Captain Bathens came to he asked for a navigational fix. "Sir, according to these charts we're somewhere in the Beta Ursae Sector Block." reported the navigator.

"Can you find Earth from here?" asked the Captain

"I believe I can sir." replied the navigator who then began working his console.

"Do it, then start hyperspace calculations as soon as you're ready. Status on the other ships?" he asked

"Sir, all our ships are intact. Some of the smaller ones are reporting minor hull damage and a few casualties nothing serious though." reported another crewmen.

Unbeknownst to the Captain however, a Rebel agent onboard one of the corvettes dropped a small capsule that drifted back into the rift and reappeared in their home galaxy. The capsule began transmitting to the New Republic a message.

_ Imperial fleet crossed rift into Milky way. Target: Earth. Send help and extraction._

* * *

The New Republic received the message but knew they couldn't do anything about it. They were still in the process of wresting control of Coruscant from the Empire. Nonetheless they did send a few ships from General Solo's taskforce to the rift in the Corellian system. It was Mon Mothma's hope that they could not only help the Federation fend off the Imperial fleet but also bring back medical aid to combat the disease spreading amongst the alien population.

* * *

The Imperial fleet opened fire almost the instant they came out of hyperspace. The fleet caught two, three-ship patrols off guard and they were immediately destroyed. The corvettes, frigates and light cruisers moved to engage the remaining patrols and automated defense turrets spread out around Earth's orbit. TIE bombers roared into the atmosphere and dropped their ordnance on various targets. A strike cruiser managed to penetrate the planetary defense grid and land near Starfleet command. It's company of stormtroopers engaged a similar number of Starfleet MACOs right on the grounds of Starfleet command. Three assault shuttles landed at the Academy and even though most of the Starfleet personnel there were cadets, they put up a ferocious fight, stalling the Imperials progress long enough to receive reinforcements from local security forces. Other shuttles landed in cities all over the world, with several landing near Embassy row. The elite guardsmen of the Klingon Empire, Romulan Empire, Cardassian Republic, Gorn Hegemony and many other planets all banded together to protect their embassies.

In space the battle quickly picked up pace as more ships arrived from across the Federation and several more were quickly deployed from Spacedock and the shipyards over Mars. A Carrack-class cruiser strayed too close to Spacedock and was split in two by its massive phaser lance. As ships deployed as fast as possible through the huge space doors, Imperial assault ships used the opening to get inside and invade the station. Many shuttles didn't make it, but enough did to cause significant disruption to the station's defenses. Security teams, MACOs and Omega force operatives all responded quickly but they were forced to fall back due to the speed of the Imperial assault teams.

Admiral Keys and the Zeus were immediately deployed from Spacedock along with several other federation ships to combat the assault fleet. The Zeus also transmitted it's tactical database to the other ships increasing the accuracy of allied ships against critical systems.

"Target the Nebulon Frigate at bearing, zero, four, zero, all weapons fire at will." ordered Keys

A dozen phaser shots lanced out, vaporizing unshielded TIEs and scorching hull plates on the frigate. More beams converged on the frigate's midsection a long narrow neck connecting the bridge to the engineering section. Phasers drained the shields while a volley of quantum torpedoes punctured the hull and split the ship in two.

With the addition of capital ships the Imperial fighters had a slightly easier time. Since many Federation ships were heavily engaged with Imperial ships, fewer ships could concentrate their fire on the fighters. However the Imperial pilots were opposed by Peregrine fighters, shuttles and runabouts. These small craft proved to be a match against Imperial TIEs.

The flagship of the enemy fleet, the Imperial star destroyer _Indomitable_ stood in the center of the Imperial formation. It's turbolasers providing the majority of the firepower being directed at the Federation. The ship had located the shipyards above the fourth planet and sent a strike cruiser as a distraction. The cruiser launched it's three squadrons and destroyed several drydocks but Starfleet quickly responded and a Galaxy-X dreadnought launched right out of drydock. It's phaser lance pierced the cruiser's shields and punched right through the hull. Because of the cruiser's modular construction it began to break up almost immediately. The Galaxy-X jumped to warp as the local fighters were mopped up by shuttles and defense stations.

Four star destroyers broke formation and engaged the massive space station above the planet. This left the _Indomitable_ with a few escorts as most of the other ships were already engaged. The Zeus swooped in and destroyed two corvettes escorting the destroyer then opened fire on the _Indomitable_ itself. Initially not doing much damage on the first pass the Odyssey Tactical Cruiser quickly came about and made another run. The Star destroyer fired a full broadside as the cruiser passed by.

"Report." ordered Keys

"Shields are down to seventy percent sir." replied Scott

"Initiate beam overload, route emergency power to weapons." Keys ordered

A brighter, thicker, much more powerful phaser beam lashed out and did burn through several decks and took out a few laser batteries. The destroyer returned fire once again and drained the shields almost completely on one side. A few shots did penetrate but only did minor damage to the hull.

"Starboard shield down, hull integrity down to 86%."

"Emergency power to shields, engage hazard emitters."

The Zeus glowed green for a moment as millions of nanites repaired the hull. "Come about, target their shield generators, torpedoes maximum yield...fire on my mark...FIRE!"

The Zeus turned 180 degrees far quicker than the Imps thought they could. The Odyssey cruiser came up behind the destroyer and fired. Phasers converged on the starboard shield generator. A full salvo of fifteen quantum torpedoes hit the port shield array but failed to destroy it. The ship did lose over half it's shield power and coverage. More than 60% of the destroyer now lay vulnerable to attack. The Zeus quickly fired aft torpedoes as it flashed over the bridge tower. The torpedoes hit the bridge vaporizing everyone inside and exposing it to the vacuum of space. The Zeus swooped under the destroyer intent on hitting the underside reactor, but a Defiant equipped with transphasic torpedoes beat them to it.

These advanced torpedoes came from a different timeline and were originally designed to fight the Borg. However by now most species in the Alpha and Beta quadrants possessed the shielding technology to at least partially protect themselves from them. As a result, transphasic torpedoes only penetrated with an estimated 40% effectiveness against native spacecraft.

The Imperials however, had no such shielding or technology and the torpedoes buried themselves in the hull before blowing huge holes in it. A second volley of torpedoes and pulse phasers hit the reactor, causing it to go critical. The Zeus and the Defiant escort cleared the immediate area then moved to engage other targets.

By this time most of the remaining Imperial ships had been destroyed, including the four star destroyers. But the Federation didn't get away clean either. Many ships were adrift with crews frantically trying to get back into the fight. Several more ships were abandoned and floating derelict with missing saucer sections and warp nacelles.

As the Imperials were all but defeated the Zeus returned to Earth orbit. Keys hailed Starfleet command but it was several minutes before anyone responded.

"Admiral Tuvok, what's the situation on the ground?"

"Controlled for the moment Admiral. We're getting reinforcements from around the world and the cadets at the academy managed to delay the Imperials long enough for more MACOs to arrive. However, there are reports indicating that stormtroopers still occupy many levels on Spacedock. Contact Earth Spacedock and find out their status. Then take an away team and help the MACOs and remaining personnel to retake the station." replied Tuvok

"Aye sir...Earth Spacedock, this is the starship Zeus, do you read?"

"This is Sgt. Johnson, MACOs. There's heavy fighting on the main levels. We could really use your help Admiral."

"We're on our way Sgt., Keys out."

* * *

Keys and his team materialized on the main transporter pad at Earth Spacedock. There was a squad of seven macos guarding the doors. The Sgt. in charge immediately saluted the Admiral who quickly returned the gesture.

"What's the situation?"

"The Imperials control most of this level. We've cleared them out of the sensitive areas like the shipyard, armory, intelligence sections etc. They control the center area, club 47 and the banking and exchange areas. Admiral Quinn is holding off a platoon of troopers with his own squad of Omega force personnel. We've also kept them away from sickbay as well."

"Good work. Now let's clear this level out. Move out MACOs!" yelled Keys

"OOORAH!" they replied and then stacked up by the doors.

The MACOs exited the transporter room at the same time, catching a squad of troopers off guard. Phaser fire ripped through their armor and they dropped quickly, then the MACOs turned left and headed towards Club 47. Keys threw a plasma grenade inside at a group of troopers. Some managed to jump out of the way but others weren't so lucky. Their armor began to burn from the plasma grenade. Distracted as they were, the troopers were quickly eliminated and the Admiral and his team moved on.

The bank and exchange were next and after that a fierce firefight in a nearby auditorium. The outside areas were quickly cleared and Admiral Keys took his four officers and began assaulting the central core containing the majority of the stormtroopers on this level. The seven MACOs flanked the enemy through another corridor. Caught between two groups the troopers went down and the level was secured. Three more hours would be needed before a security sweep was completed and all areas were deemed secure.

With the battle over the Federation began a cleanup. Ships were tractored to nearby drydocks for repairs while still others monitored the area for additional hyperspace anomalies. The Federation assigned a trio of frigates and a Sovereign-class cruiser to watch over the two ships they had captured, a lancer frigate and a Strike cruiser, the very same cruiser that had landed on the grounds of Starfleet Command. Hundreds of Imperial personnel were imprisoned including several dozen pilots and senior officers.

Thirty minutes after the battle was officially over more hyperspace anomalies were detected. Fearing another Imperial attack all ships went on alert. But as the ships reverted to realspace, Keys, standing on the bridge of the Zeus smiled. "All ships this is Admiral Keys, do not fire, repeat do not fire. These ships are friendly."

Then a familiar voice came over the comm. "Admiral Keys, this is General Solo, I take it we missed the party."

"Indeed but we appreciate the gesture. How did you get here anyway? Come to think of it how did the Imperials get here?"

"We came through the rift in the Corellian system. It deposited us in the...Beta Ursae Sector. We were going to try and help out but I see you have the situation well in hand."

"We do. On behalf of the Federation I welcome you to Earth."

A/N: Sorry for the long update. Again I'm getting married very soon so writing isn't a top priority right now.


End file.
